A holding company owning subsidiaries engaged in a number of diverse business activities, including property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, utilities and energy, finance, manufacturing, retailing and services. Website:http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/

3G Capital is known as a fierce cost-cutter, slashing jobs at many of the companies it takes private. But job losses in large private-equity deals taint our view of the industry's impact on corporate America as a whole.